In current content delivery/media distribution systems, programming information that describes a delivery schedule of available content and/or services may be provided to devices in a distribution network. For example, a content distribution server that operates on the distribution network may provide the programming information to devices in communication with the network. Devices receiving the programming information operate to display the information in a two dimensional program guide (PG) to device users who may then select content and/or services to be received. For example, a device user views the PG and may then select and subscribe to receive content and/or services that include multimedia content, clips, programs, scripts, data, customer services, or any other type of content or service.
In conventional wide area networks, all programming information is delivered to all devices in the network whether or not the described content is available in a device's current operating area. For example, the programming information describes all programming available in the wide area network; however, in order to receive selected programming, a device may need to be operating within a certain region of the network. Thus, it is possible for a device to attempt to subscribe to programming that it cannot receive because of its location in the network. As a result, device users may become frustrated with the operation of the device, and may ultimately choose not to subscribe to receive content because of the bad user experience.
Therefore, what is needed is a system that operates to allow regional parameters to be delivered to devices operating in a wide area network so that devices are able to receive accurate programming information about content and/or services that are actually delivered in their operating regions.